Ivan Vasilyevich's legacy revolves around the name which people had given to him, Ivan the Grozny or what people today call Ivan the Terrible. His legacy began at the age of thirteen when he took control of the boyars and further more at age seventeen when he was crowned Tsar of Russia. Ivan is known for the horrible actions he took in war and he crazy breakouts which were caused by his mental illness. The most famous war that is related to Ivan is the war of Novgorod. In this war he tortured and killed 60,000 innocent citizens. He tortured them by tying them to slays and driving them into cold water. This is only one of the examples of how crazy Ivan was. Despite the fact that Ivan had a mental illness, he tripled the size of Russia. He conquered the Urals in the East and the Caspian Sea in the South. Not only did he gain much land but he failed greatly. Becoming greedy he annexed Lithuania and the Baltic coast. This desire further more made him lose troops and resources. In addition Ivan is known for making the Oprichnik, a service that helped torture citizens and loot towns.
Many people also tie the name "Ivan the Terribe" to the story of the building of St. Basil's Cathedral. Ivan ordered this magnifecnt cathedral to be built, being very faithful. After St. Basils Cathedral had been built Ivan took an action that most people would not believe. He blinded the arcitect who built the cathedral by carving out his eyes. Ivan is said to have done this because he thought of the building as beautiful and never wanted another one to be built. Worst of all, the mental instability drove Ivan so far that he killed his own son, the heir to the thrown. This action further more proves the name Ivan received and is known by, Ivan the Terrible.
Many people also tie the name "Ivan the Terribe" to the story of the building of St. Basil's Cathedral. Ivan ordered this magnifecnt cathedral to be built, being very faithful. After St. Basils Cathedral had been built Ivan took an action that most people would not believe. He blinded the arcitect who built the cathedral by carving out his eyes. Ivan is said to have done this because he thought of the building as beautiful and never wanted another one to be built. Worst of all, the mental instability drove Ivan so far that he killed his own son, the heir to the thrown. This action further more proves the name Ivan received and is known by, Ivan the Terrible.